1. San Jose(7-0-0)- San Jose wasn’t a team anyone projected
to win the cup, but that hasn’t stopped them yet. The Sharks are 7-0-0 and
leading the league with 14 points. Thanks to team leaders Patrick Marleau(3G,
11A) and Joe Thornton’s(9G,5A) 14 points apiece, they have wins over Vancouver
and Edmonton(2).
2.The Chicago Blackhawks(6-0-1)- Chicago is ranked #1 due to
their amazing start. Chicago is second in the NHL with 13 points. Chicago
started the season winning 6 straight before falling to the Wild in Minnesota in
a shootout. Chicago’s go to guys lead the team in scoring: Patrick Kane 10
points (2G, 8A), Marian Hossa 9 points (5G, 4A), and Jonathan Toews 7 points
(4G, 3A). And who can forget goaltender Corey Crawford(5-0-1) with 148 saves
this season(93.1%).
3. St. Louis(6-1-0)- The Blues being a sleeper for the Cup are off to a hot start as well. The 6-1-0 Blues are 3rd in the power rankings due to their wins over Columbus, Minnesota, and Detroit; and their only loss being a 3-2 loss to Chicago.
4. Ottawa(5-1-1)- The Senators name has come up a couple of times this preseason. Ottawa is off to a 5-1-1 start with wins over Winnipeg, Washington, and Montreal. Their losses were to Tampa Bay(6-4) and Pittsburgh(2-1 SOL).
5. Boston(5-1-1)-The Bruins, a name that was strongly thrown around with the Cup in the preseason, are 5-1-1 with impressive wins over NY Rangers, Winnipeg, New Jersey, and the NY Islanders.
6. Tampa Bay(5-1-0)- The Lightning was another hot name with the Cup. Wins over Cup favorites Washington, Ottawa, and Philadelphia lands them 6th in the power rankings as they are off to a 5-1-0 start. Team captain Steven Stamkos is second in team points with 11 points.
7. New York Islanders(4-2-1)- Even though it’s still early in the season the Islanders have shocked the NHL. The Islanders are off to 4-2-1 with shocking wins over Tampa Bay, Toronto, Pittsburgh, and New Jersey. Their losses are to top teams, New Jersey, Boston, and Winnipeg, which helps secure
7th place in the power rankings.
8. Minnesota Wild(4-2-1)- After acquiring Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, the Wild look good. After their three game slump, the Wild are on a two game winning streak with wins over Columbus and Chicago leading them to 4-2-1. Zach Parise leads the team with 9 points(5G, 4A).
9. New Jersey(3-0-3)- After the loss of Zach Parise, no one really knew what was in store for New Jersey. The Devils earn 9th place thanks to nice wins over NY Islanders, Philadelphia, and Washington. Even though they have lost three, they were all overtime-shootout losses to Boston, NY Islanders, and Montreal.
10. Edmonton(4-2-1)- The Oilers are off to a decent 4-2-1 start. The only surprising wins Edmonton’s racked up are Vancouver and a 2-1 OT win over last years Cup winners, the LA Kings. Edmonton’s goaltender, Devan Dubnyk, has been very hot for the Oilers so far. He has a 92.1% save percentage with 199 saves.
11. Pittsburgh(4-3-0)- The Penguins were a highly talked about Cup contender during the preseason. With the return of a healthy Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin from the KHL, the Pens look good again. Pittsburgh is off to a 4-3-0 start with solid wins including Philadelphia, NY Rangers, and Ottawa. Usually people think of Sid the Kid or Malkin when you mention Pittsburgh, but the duo is soon to be a trio. James Neal has stepped up this year averaging a goal a game so far. Hart trophy winner, Malkin leads the team with 8 points(2G-6A) and Crosby with 7(3G, 4A).
12. Toronto(4-3-0)- Toronto is having a good year so far. Toronto’s 4-3-0 record includes wins over Montreal, Pittsburgh, and Washington, all of which being teams with a good shot at the Cup.
13. Montreal(4-2-0)- Montreal, a team that’s not made a strong run at the cup since the 2009-2010 season when they lost in the conference finals, has looked back on track. Montreal could be back on track after strong wins over Washington, Winnipeg, and New Jersey.
14. Buffalo(3-3-1)-Buffalo was a team that looked hot coming off the last lockout in the 2004-2005 season. They went to the conference finals back to back in 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 only to fall short of their Cup dreams. This season could be another possible drive in the playoffs. Buffalo has notched wins over Philadelphia, Toronto, and Boston.
15. Winnipeg(3-3-1)-After missing the playoffs in their first season, Winnipeg is looking to turn things around. Even though they aren’t the top team in their conference they do have some good wins: Washington, Pittsburgh, and NY Islanders.
16. Vancouver(3-2-2)-Vancouver has finished 1st in the Northwest the last 4 years, but no Cup. They looked to have a shot during the 2010-2011 season but Boston thought otherwise. With the results of the last couple of years Vancouver looks to repeat but this time hoisting a Cup. But the 3-2-2 start
doesn’t look promising. Their only wins were Anaheim, Calgary, and Colorado. On top of the embarrassing record, veteran goaltender, Robert Luongo, is only 1-2 in his 3 starts.
17. Detroit(3-2-1)-Upon losing Nicklas Lidstrom to retirement, loses of Chris Conner, Garnet Exelby, and Jiri Hudler, Detroit looked downed. This was the same team that set the record for most consecutive home wins last season. With the additions of Jordin Tootoo, Mikael Samuelsson, and Damien Brunner, Detroit is off to a slow start close wins over Columbus and Minnesota.
18. Anaheim(3-1-1)- Even though Anaheim has beat Western Conference foes Vancouver and Nashville, those wins aren’t saying much this year. Both teams have gotten off to a slow start as well as Anaheim has. Anaheim needs to see major improvement from both Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry.
19. Nashville(2-2-3)- After missing 4 defensemen from last season, including Ryan Suter, Nashville’s defense has been just that, missing. Nashville’s allowed 19 goals in 7 games. After this slow start, will this be another disappointing year for Nashville? Can Nashville’s goaltenders step it up?
20. NY Rangers(3-4-0)-The Rangers wear a big name during the preseason Cup talk. With the addition of Rick Nash things looked like they couldn’t get better for the Rangers. After a disappointing loss to New Jersey in the Conference finals, this year seemed like they had a shot. This year’s losses to Boston, Pittsburgh(2), and Philadelphia look to prove they aren’t the power house this year.
21. LA Kings(2-2-2)- After winning the Cup last year, LA Kings wanted to repeat, but a slow start doesn’t look good. They’ve only gotten past Phoenix and Vancouver. But they fought to the end in a 2-1 OTL to Edmonton.
22. Colorado(3-4-0)- Colorado hasn’t been to the playoffs 3 of the last 4 years. Hoping this year could look better Colorado has spent this season spinning their wheels. Even though they’ve beaten LA and Columbus and lost to the power houses of the West, the scores just haven’t been kind. They’ve been outscored 15-3 in their 4 losses.
23. Dallas(3-4-1)- With the addition of Jaromir Jagr, Dallas thought they took a step in the right direction. But the lookouts have not been nice to Dallas, as they continue to struggle. Wins over Phoenix and Columbus aren’t saying much for Dallas. Kari Lehtonen is struggling for Dallas with an average of 3 goals a game.
24. Phoenix(2-4-1)- Phoenix is off to another slow start. With the addition of a scorer like Steve Sullivan, Phoenix was hoping for the best. But the West hasn’t been kind. Even though a win over Columbus sounds good, the truth is it’s not enough. Phoenix needs to produce offensively if they look to do much better.
25. Columbus(2-5-1)-After the loss of Rick Nash, Columbus is now without their biggest playmaker. And it shows. This team has been outscored 27-13 in 8 games. With two veteran goalies like Sergei Bobrovsky and Steve Mason, this goaltending group has shown a tremendous amount of struggle. It’s obvious that Columbus needs to invest in a good scorer to replace the loss of Rick Nash and get back on track.
26. Carolina(2-3-0)-Carolina is looking to get back to Cup shape everyone thought during the off season when they acquired veteran Forward, Jordan Staal from Pittsburgh, and signing free agent Alexander Semin. But the truth is the only team they’ve gotten past has been Buffalo, twice. Two wins over Buffalo are good wins but a loss to Florida is embarrassing. The Hurricanes need to build on the Staal brothers combined 12 points, Eric(5G, 2A) and Jordan(0G, 5A).
27. Philadelphia(2-5-0)- The Flyers, a team who was also highly talked about when it came to the Cup, has dropped off. After losing their first three games of the season, Philadelphia isn’t looking so hot with their 2-5-0 start. Neither Claude Giroux nor Steve Hartnell have been hot in January, only scoring a combined 5 points(2G, 2A)(0G,1A).
28. Florida(2-5-0)- After a long playoff drought, Florida finally made it back to the playoffs last year, but not very far. After a disappointing lost to Philadelphia in the 1st round, Florida is looking to improve. But with both of Florida’s goaltenders troubling 90.1% and 84% save percentages,
and 27 points allowed, this season doesn’t look promising.
29. Washington(1-5-1)- With the return of veteran captain, Alex Ovechkin, from the KHL, Washington was another much talked about Cup contender this year. But Ovechkin hasn’t shown up yet, or for that matter the whole Capitals team. With a disappointing start and a win over Buffalo, the Capitals need this team to wake up and go to work for Washington to save this season.
30. Calgary(1-3-1)- Unfortunately Calgary hasn’t been a very standout team the last couple of years and this year may be the same. Calgary’s 1-3-1 start lands them at the bottom of the power rankings, but things can’t be that bad. They may have only one win, but that win was over a good Edmonton Oilers team. Hopefully that means the month of February will be a lot kinder to them.
to win the cup, but that hasn’t stopped them yet. The Sharks are 7-0-0 and
leading the league with 14 points. Thanks to team leaders Patrick Marleau(3G,
11A) and Joe Thornton’s(9G,5A) 14 points apiece, they have wins over Vancouver
and Edmonton(2).
2.The Chicago Blackhawks(6-0-1)- Chicago is ranked #1 due to
their amazing start. Chicago is second in the NHL with 13 points. Chicago
started the season winning 6 straight before falling to the Wild in Minnesota in
a shootout. Chicago’s go to guys lead the team in scoring: Patrick Kane 10
points (2G, 8A), Marian Hossa 9 points (5G, 4A), and Jonathan Toews 7 points
(4G, 3A). And who can forget goaltender Corey Crawford(5-0-1) with 148 saves
this season(93.1%).
3. St. Louis(6-1-0)- The Blues being a sleeper for the Cup are off to a hot start as well. The 6-1-0 Blues are 3rd in the power rankings due to their wins over Columbus, Minnesota, and Detroit; and their only loss being a 3-2 loss to Chicago.
4. Ottawa(5-1-1)- The Senators name has come up a couple of times this preseason. Ottawa is off to a 5-1-1 start with wins over Winnipeg, Washington, and Montreal. Their losses were to Tampa Bay(6-4) and Pittsburgh(2-1 SOL).
5. Boston(5-1-1)-The Bruins, a name that was strongly thrown around with the Cup in the preseason, are 5-1-1 with impressive wins over NY Rangers, Winnipeg, New Jersey, and the NY Islanders.
6. Tampa Bay(5-1-0)- The Lightning was another hot name with the Cup. Wins over Cup favorites Washington, Ottawa, and Philadelphia lands them 6th in the power rankings as they are off to a 5-1-0 start. Team captain Steven Stamkos is second in team points with 11 points.
7. New York Islanders(4-2-1)- Even though it’s still early in the season the Islanders have shocked the NHL. The Islanders are off to 4-2-1 with shocking wins over Tampa Bay, Toronto, Pittsburgh, and New Jersey. Their losses are to top teams, New Jersey, Boston, and Winnipeg, which helps secure
7th place in the power rankings.
8. Minnesota Wild(4-2-1)- After acquiring Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, the Wild look good. After their three game slump, the Wild are on a two game winning streak with wins over Columbus and Chicago leading them to 4-2-1. Zach Parise leads the team with 9 points(5G, 4A).
9. New Jersey(3-0-3)- After the loss of Zach Parise, no one really knew what was in store for New Jersey. The Devils earn 9th place thanks to nice wins over NY Islanders, Philadelphia, and Washington. Even though they have lost three, they were all overtime-shootout losses to Boston, NY Islanders, and Montreal.
10. Edmonton(4-2-1)- The Oilers are off to a decent 4-2-1 start. The only surprising wins Edmonton’s racked up are Vancouver and a 2-1 OT win over last years Cup winners, the LA Kings. Edmonton’s goaltender, Devan Dubnyk, has been very hot for the Oilers so far. He has a 92.1% save percentage with 199 saves.
11. Pittsburgh(4-3-0)- The Penguins were a highly talked about Cup contender during the preseason. With the return of a healthy Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin from the KHL, the Pens look good again. Pittsburgh is off to a 4-3-0 start with solid wins including Philadelphia, NY Rangers, and Ottawa. Usually people think of Sid the Kid or Malkin when you mention Pittsburgh, but the duo is soon to be a trio. James Neal has stepped up this year averaging a goal a game so far. Hart trophy winner, Malkin leads the team with 8 points(2G-6A) and Crosby with 7(3G, 4A).
12. Toronto(4-3-0)- Toronto is having a good year so far. Toronto’s 4-3-0 record includes wins over Montreal, Pittsburgh, and Washington, all of which being teams with a good shot at the Cup.
13. Montreal(4-2-0)- Montreal, a team that’s not made a strong run at the cup since the 2009-2010 season when they lost in the conference finals, has looked back on track. Montreal could be back on track after strong wins over Washington, Winnipeg, and New Jersey.
14. Buffalo(3-3-1)-Buffalo was a team that looked hot coming off the last lockout in the 2004-2005 season. They went to the conference finals back to back in 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 only to fall short of their Cup dreams. This season could be another possible drive in the playoffs. Buffalo has notched wins over Philadelphia, Toronto, and Boston.
15. Winnipeg(3-3-1)-After missing the playoffs in their first season, Winnipeg is looking to turn things around. Even though they aren’t the top team in their conference they do have some good wins: Washington, Pittsburgh, and NY Islanders.
16. Vancouver(3-2-2)-Vancouver has finished 1st in the Northwest the last 4 years, but no Cup. They looked to have a shot during the 2010-2011 season but Boston thought otherwise. With the results of the last couple of years Vancouver looks to repeat but this time hoisting a Cup. But the 3-2-2 start
doesn’t look promising. Their only wins were Anaheim, Calgary, and Colorado. On top of the embarrassing record, veteran goaltender, Robert Luongo, is only 1-2 in his 3 starts.
17. Detroit(3-2-1)-Upon losing Nicklas Lidstrom to retirement, loses of Chris Conner, Garnet Exelby, and Jiri Hudler, Detroit looked downed. This was the same team that set the record for most consecutive home wins last season. With the additions of Jordin Tootoo, Mikael Samuelsson, and Damien Brunner, Detroit is off to a slow start close wins over Columbus and Minnesota.
18. Anaheim(3-1-1)- Even though Anaheim has beat Western Conference foes Vancouver and Nashville, those wins aren’t saying much this year. Both teams have gotten off to a slow start as well as Anaheim has. Anaheim needs to see major improvement from both Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry.
19. Nashville(2-2-3)- After missing 4 defensemen from last season, including Ryan Suter, Nashville’s defense has been just that, missing. Nashville’s allowed 19 goals in 7 games. After this slow start, will this be another disappointing year for Nashville? Can Nashville’s goaltenders step it up?
20. NY Rangers(3-4-0)-The Rangers wear a big name during the preseason Cup talk. With the addition of Rick Nash things looked like they couldn’t get better for the Rangers. After a disappointing loss to New Jersey in the Conference finals, this year seemed like they had a shot. This year’s losses to Boston, Pittsburgh(2), and Philadelphia look to prove they aren’t the power house this year.
21. LA Kings(2-2-2)- After winning the Cup last year, LA Kings wanted to repeat, but a slow start doesn’t look good. They’ve only gotten past Phoenix and Vancouver. But they fought to the end in a 2-1 OTL to Edmonton.
22. Colorado(3-4-0)- Colorado hasn’t been to the playoffs 3 of the last 4 years. Hoping this year could look better Colorado has spent this season spinning their wheels. Even though they’ve beaten LA and Columbus and lost to the power houses of the West, the scores just haven’t been kind. They’ve been outscored 15-3 in their 4 losses.
23. Dallas(3-4-1)- With the addition of Jaromir Jagr, Dallas thought they took a step in the right direction. But the lookouts have not been nice to Dallas, as they continue to struggle. Wins over Phoenix and Columbus aren’t saying much for Dallas. Kari Lehtonen is struggling for Dallas with an average of 3 goals a game.
24. Phoenix(2-4-1)- Phoenix is off to another slow start. With the addition of a scorer like Steve Sullivan, Phoenix was hoping for the best. But the West hasn’t been kind. Even though a win over Columbus sounds good, the truth is it’s not enough. Phoenix needs to produce offensively if they look to do much better.
25. Columbus(2-5-1)-After the loss of Rick Nash, Columbus is now without their biggest playmaker. And it shows. This team has been outscored 27-13 in 8 games. With two veteran goalies like Sergei Bobrovsky and Steve Mason, this goaltending group has shown a tremendous amount of struggle. It’s obvious that Columbus needs to invest in a good scorer to replace the loss of Rick Nash and get back on track.
26. Carolina(2-3-0)-Carolina is looking to get back to Cup shape everyone thought during the off season when they acquired veteran Forward, Jordan Staal from Pittsburgh, and signing free agent Alexander Semin. But the truth is the only team they’ve gotten past has been Buffalo, twice. Two wins over Buffalo are good wins but a loss to Florida is embarrassing. The Hurricanes need to build on the Staal brothers combined 12 points, Eric(5G, 2A) and Jordan(0G, 5A).
27. Philadelphia(2-5-0)- The Flyers, a team who was also highly talked about when it came to the Cup, has dropped off. After losing their first three games of the season, Philadelphia isn’t looking so hot with their 2-5-0 start. Neither Claude Giroux nor Steve Hartnell have been hot in January, only scoring a combined 5 points(2G, 2A)(0G,1A).
28. Florida(2-5-0)- After a long playoff drought, Florida finally made it back to the playoffs last year, but not very far. After a disappointing lost to Philadelphia in the 1st round, Florida is looking to improve. But with both of Florida’s goaltenders troubling 90.1% and 84% save percentages,
and 27 points allowed, this season doesn’t look promising.
29. Washington(1-5-1)- With the return of veteran captain, Alex Ovechkin, from the KHL, Washington was another much talked about Cup contender this year. But Ovechkin hasn’t shown up yet, or for that matter the whole Capitals team. With a disappointing start and a win over Buffalo, the Capitals need this team to wake up and go to work for Washington to save this season.
30. Calgary(1-3-1)- Unfortunately Calgary hasn’t been a very standout team the last couple of years and this year may be the same. Calgary’s 1-3-1 start lands them at the bottom of the power rankings, but things can’t be that bad. They may have only one win, but that win was over a good Edmonton Oilers team. Hopefully that means the month of February will be a lot kinder to them.